Washington insists on negotiations: Trump says 'very friendly' talks underway with Iran despite regime's denial

On Monday, President Donald Trump stated that "very friendly negotiations" are underway with Iran, even though Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi stated that same day that the Iranian delegation had not submitted any request to continue the talks and that Tehran had rejected a U.S. proposal.

"Right now, they're talking to us about making a deal. But if we didn't do it tough, there would be no talk," Trump declared during a speech in Michigan, in which he also reiterated his position that Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon. "We’re winning big time with the Islamic Republic of Iran, and we're ensuring that they never have a nuclear weapon. When somebody comes up and says, ‘Why are we doing this?’ Just say, ‘Because we cannot let them have a nuclear weapon.’ It's very simple," the Republican president said.

Trump's remarks came just hours after the Iranian regime sent mixed signals in its conflict with Washington. It had just announced that it was ceasing attacks on U.S. targets in the region and key facilities belonging to its Gulf neighbors when it was reported that the Revolutionary Guard blocked the passage of six ships attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz. "Last night, six ships attempting to pass through a route other than the designated one were stopped by the Revolutionary Guards' navy with warning shots and were forced to turn back," reported a journalist for Iranian state television.

Tehran had announced a pause in its retaliatory bombings against U.S. allies in the Middle East after a third consecutive night without attacks, after Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the UN, stated that Trump was "giving the talks some breathing room, giving them a little leeway," though without ruling out the resumption of airstrikes.